The Earth's biosphere is a very thin layer of nutrient rich material which supports the living organisms of which we are part. Since our ascendancy over all other things, through our lack of knowledge and understanding, we have recklessly destroyed vast portions of our environment upon which lesser creatures and ultimately ourselves, depend on for sustenance both physical and mental.

  Since we have become enlightened about the fragile relationship we have with all other living things, it is of paramount importance that we, as responsible caretakers of the environment, curtail destructive practices and mitigate the consequences of past behaviors. If we fail to change our behavior we will doom ourselves to an existence devoid of the many natural entities that bring us so much joy.

  We are very fortunate here in Henrietta Township to live in an area with a low population density, many lakes and other recreational amenities and abundant wildlife. These things we hold so dearly are a result of the rather limited destruction of the natural environment that has taken place to date. Unfortunately, the cancerous spread of low density urban sprawl taking place all around us is taking its toll on our surroundings. If we do not stop this destruction in very short order, we will live in a nightmare of little boxes, endless thoroughfares and bumper to bumper traffic jams. There are elements within our community and without, who relish the thought of all that development, increased property values and the profits to be had by Realtors and developers as well as the hollow dream of every homeowner to sell at a big profit and move up the ladder toward oblivion. The nightmare left behind for the profit of the few is the legacy of our failure to cherish and protect our environment.

  We can do something about this looming threat. We need to enact zoning changes and adopt ordinances which will curtail the splitting /development of agricultural land, stop the development and destruction of wetlands and encourage isolated areas of higher density housing and preserve surrounding natural areas. We realize that any attempt to curtail development will raise the ire of realtors, petty developers/builders and particularly, older farmers who see only profit and retirement in Florida instead of continuing the legacy of caretakers with regard to the land. These are the enemies of the environment. To fight this battle and protect what is left, we must band together and press the township to pass zoning changes and ordinances which control growth and protect what is left. We also need to explore ways to encourage existing owners to allow their parcels to become more natural and critter friendly as opposed to acres of mowed lawn, poisoned by chemicals and devoid of the things that make life worth living.

  If you are interested and feel inclined to join us and help preserve the rural nature of the township, help stop the destruction of natural habitats and encourage responsible growth then fill out the form on the Contact page and we will get back with you as soon as possible.